A Forgiving HeartFORGIVENESS is shown and written about throughout the Bible. There are many examples how a Christian is supposed to act when wronged. One of the best examples, in my ...
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Ann Christmas, Fellowship of Christian Firefighters, St. Louis Chapter; American Red Cross, North County Citizen CorpsA FORGIVING HEARTWhat if life is lost?FORGIVENESS is shown and written about throughout the Bible. There are many examples how a Christian is supposed to act when wronged. One of the best examples, in my opinion, is Joseph in the Old Testament book of Genesis, chapters 37 through 50. Because of jealousy, his brothers conspired, sold him into slavery, ripped his coat and covered it with animal blood, making it look as if he had been killed by an animal, and took it to their father, Jacob. Jacob mourned the loss of his son until they were reunited years later. Joseph forgave his brothers and made the most of every bad situation he was handed. What if the wrong is more extreme? What if life is lost? Such was the case in the book of Job, which relates a life filled with faith and forgiveness through many losses. Emergency workers, especially police officers, sometimes deal with the deaths of colleagues. As they seek to keep order and safety while also providing protection, they’re often placed in extreme danger. In the process, some sacrifice their own lives. In February 2008, my city changed forever. Kirkwood, Missouri, mourned the loss of some amazing people, including two police officers, William Biggs and Thomas Ballman. Months later, my father’s mourning deepened when his friend Mayor Mike Swoboda died from complications resulting from that same shooting. Many lives were affected by this senseless act of violence. Likewise, anger manifested itself from many different angles. In contrast, abundant love also overflowed in our city in response to this tragedy. “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44) How do you forgive someone who takes away the life of a servant? God is quite clear on how we are to forgive. The fact is—we’re told to forgive. We’re commanded by Jesus to forgive others, no exceptions. This isn’t easy. Sometimes it might take a day, weeks, months, in some cases even years to forgive those who hurt you or someone you know. In Matthew, Jesus shares that we need to love our enemies and pray for them. How do we move on? It can only be accomplished by following God’s command to forgive, love, and pray. It’s the peace we find in knowing Jesus that gets us through the pain of losing someone we love. It’s this same peace that will help us forgive.
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